Vibrant Functional Academy

The New Standard: How Advanced Technology Can Enhance Tickborne Disease Detection

Written by Jamie Haleva | May 24, 2023 2:38:26 PM

Are your patients getting the most accurate testing for Lyme and tickborne disease?

Most current Lyme and Tickborne tests use indirect testing methods such as ELISA, Western Blot, ImmunoBlot, and Immunochip, or direct testing methods such as Traditional PCR and Chip-based Multiplex PCR.

But our Tickborne Diseases panel uses both.

Why?

Combining indirect Immunochip with direct Multiplex Chip PCR testing enables the detection of the maximum number of Borrelia species and co-infections across multiple antigen types.

Our CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified labs use unique protein microarray technology to enable scalability, resulting in faster results and competitive pricing—without sacrificing accuracy.

Read on to explore all the benefits of combining indirect and direct testing methods with advanced technology for tickborne disease and co-infection detection.

Detect More Strains by Targeting Multiple Genes

The Tickborne Diseases panel utilizes nested amplifications to enable up to a 16,000-fold increase in the amplification of target genes compared to traditional methods.

This increased visibility allows us to detect significantly more strains of tickborne disease than conventional testing methods do, including unusual strains. 

Earlier Detection Compared to Traditional Methods

The Vibrant Tickborne Diseases panel offers several advantages over conventional methods for early disease detection. 

Firstly, the panel can detect the disease from genes, meaning it doesn’t depend on the host’s antibody response. This feature allows for earlier identification of tickborne diseases, providing a crucial window for intervention and treatment. 

Secondly, a common issue with traditional testing is that elevated IgG antibody levels in patients can mask the presence of IgM antibodies during the early stages of a disease, leading to false negatives. 

Our assay is designed to remove excess IgG and rheumatoid factor, making IgM antibodies more available and detectable in early cases of tickborne and Lyme disease.  

Higher Sensitivity & Specificity 

Our chemiluminescent-based immunoassay enhances the detection of IgM antibodies that may not be detectable using traditional testing methods such as ELISA. 

Additionally, using nested amplifications and bead beating to reduce biofilm effects, we can implement a more sensitive detection of genes, allowing us to hone in on multiple target genes associated with tickborne illness.

Accurate Collection of Rare Disease Strains

Conventionally available Lyme disease tests often do not test for the less common, diverse Borrelia and co-infection species found in variable geographic regions.  

Because of these limitations with conventional testing, many tickborne illnesses are either not diagnosed at all or diagnosed later in the course of the disease—leaving patients at greater risk of long-term harm. 

The Vibrant Tickborne panel’s Multiplex Chip PCR testing allows for the concurrent detection of multiple rare disease strains.  

Our technology tests for 121 different analytes, including Borrelia species and various tickborne co-infections, providing the most comprehensive tickborne panel available. 

Increased Accuracy, Reliability, & Efficiency

Research on our proprietary tickborne disease technology, Lyme Immunochip, has been featured in numerous third-party publications, including this study from Scientific Reports

This study illustrates the potential of the Lyme Immunochip as a reliable, accurate, and efficient diagnostic tool for Lyme disease. 

The study concluded that the Lyme Immunochip achieved:

  • Sensitivity of over 72% based on CDC criteria and 100% based on alternate criteria
  • Specificity of over 97% based on CDC criteria and 95% based on alternate criteria
  • Simultaneous testing of 192 individual specimens within 2 hours, making it a high-throughput method
  • Improved turnaround time and reduced labor costs compared to traditional testing methods
  • Potential to eliminate subjective interpretation of test results thanks to automation, which increases accuracy and reliability  

Faster Results and Competitive Pricing

The Vibrant Tickborne panel produces faster results and competitive pricing due to automation and multiplexing. Our Immunochip technology allows us to test for high numbers of test markers simultaneously, making testing more cost-effective.  

The panel tests for the highest number of species of tickborne disease available, detecting the complete set of antigens on the Vibrant chip. 

Thanks to automation and scale, we can detect more species with increased accuracy—at a fraction of the price of competitors.  

More Ease and Convenience for Patients

The Vibrant Tickborne Diseases panel can produce results using serum or convenient at-home dried blood spot collection.  

Our advanced technology allows us to detect both genes and antibodies from a small volume of blood, allowing patients to perform the Tickborne Diseases panel in the comfort of their homes.  

Conclusion 

The Vibrant Tickborne Diseases test marks a significant advancement in tickborne disease and co-infection diagnosis. Its unique combination of indirect and direct testing methods and proprietary technology overcomes traditional testing limitations that lead to misdiagnosis and false negatives. 

Choose the Vibrant Tickborne panel to deliver your patients the most accurate, comprehensive, and affordable testing and provide the best chance at early detection, intervention, and a better quality of life.

Regulatory Statement:

The general wellness test intended uses relate to sustaining or offering general improvement to functions associated with a general state of health while making reference to diseases or conditions. This test has been laboratory developed and its performance characteristics determined by Vibrant America LLC and Vibrant Genomics, a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory performing the test. The lab tests referenced have not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although FDA does not currently clear or approve laboratory-developed tests in the U.S., certification of the laboratory is required under CLIA to ensure the quality and validity of the tests.